Vietnam No 1 Le Quang Liem won his first match at the Chess Olympiad in Baku, Azerbaizan, yesterday.



Grandmaster Le Quang Liem competes at Baku’s Chess Olympiad.


Grandmaster Liem and his teammates defeated Ireland 3-1 in the Open category in the round four.

Liem beat FIDE master Stephen Jessel, GM Nguyen Huynh Minh Huy won against International master Mark Heidenfeld, while FM Nguyen Anh Khoi and GM Dao Thien Hai drew against FM Conor O’Donnel and FM Colm Daly, respectively.

The win has pushed Vietnam to No 21 in the ranking. They will next play No 32 England.

In the women’s competition, the Vietnamese master continued her undefeated streak with a 2.5-1.5 win against her Spanish opponent.

IM Pham Le Thao Nguyen triumphed against Women’s GM Monica Calzetta Ruiz, WGM Nguyen Thi Thanh An defeated Women’s IM Amalia Aranaz Murillo, and WGM Nguyen Thi Mai Hung tied with IM Ana Matnadze. 

WGM Hoang Thi Bao Tram, however, lost to WGM Sabrina Vega Gutierrez.

Vietnam, currently at No 12 after moving up five places in the women’s competition, will play No 6 India in the next match. 

VNS